The Cry of the Pheonix
by pheonixfeatherof97
Summary: Voldemort has just been vanquished, so our favorite people can now live happily ever after, right? Wrong. 3 people are kidnapped, and Harry Potter is nowhere to be found, but will he come back in time to save the life of the only girl he has ever loved?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1****  
****Harry Runs Away**

Harry slumped against the wall enclosing the Astronomy Tower, bleeding profusely. He felt himself getting weaker and weaker, his vision fogging up. He dimly registered that he had come here with Hermione to deliver the baby dragon, Norbert to Charlie's friends. That seemed so long ago now. He remembered last year, how another murder had occurred in the same place, how Dumbledore was murdered by the man he had trusted, and how Harry had been completely helpless as he watched Professor Dumbledore die.

But now another murder had transpired, and now the victim had fallen in the middle of the tower, his slender, snake-like body unmoving, his pale skin made even paler by the full moon that hung from the delicate string of stars. Lord Voldemort's blood-red eyes hidden behind eyelids, his slit-like nostrils the remnants of a once handsome face and brilliant mind that had been abused by greed, power and revenge.

Suddenly, with a mental jerk, Harry realized he could see properly now and that he could feel the haziness lifting off him as though a great fog were clearing from his mind. This had happened before, a lifetime ago in the Chamber of Secrets when. . .

"Fawkes!" croaked Harry, lifting a feeble arm to stroke the beautiful bird. His wounds were gone, Fawkes's tears had left nothing but new healthy skin, where, moments before, had been wounds that probably would have killed him through blood loss.

"Than you," breathed Harry, feeling his strength seeping back into him.

The phoenix bumped his majestic head to Harry's arm, letting out a musical cry of urgency. 

"No, Fawkes, I can't go anywhere yet, I'm so tired," he explained.

Fawkes squawked again, turning around and showed Harry his tail.

"Oh, I suppose I'm strong enough to travel that way. But, wait, I need to do something before that."

Harry struggled to his feet, and took Voldemort's wand from his dead hands. A sudden, savage look crossed his face, and he pointed it in the air. He had seen so many Death Eaters do it before, it would be easy. He gave the wand a flick, and shouted at the top of his lungs, letting all his emotions stream from his heart and into the accursed word. Green light shot out of his wand, forming a shining skull with a snake protruding from the mouth, the sign that murder had occurred.

He turned to Fawkes, the savagery still prominent in his eyes. He suddenly smiled at Fawkes and said, "The war's over and the mark that started it now hails the death of its creator."

Harry smiled again, "I think one of the reasons Dumbledore was so wise was because he was near you all the time."

He grabbed Fawkes's tail, and they were off through the light of the Dark Mark. But Harry was wrong, the war was not yet over, and he still had his part to play in it, his destiny would find him and bring him back. 

Fawkes took Harry to Grimmauld Place first, because he wanted to pick up some things that he didn't want to leave behind.

He was running away. Why? Because even though Voldemort was gone, his followers were still at large, and, like last time, would be desperate for revenge, not only against him, but also against those he loved. He thought his friends: Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, Luna, Dean, Seamus, and so many more. What would he do if they were harmed because of him? No, they needed to be safe until the danger passed.

And he needed to heal. He needed to heal the wounds on his soul that killing, even someone like Voldemort, had inflicted. 

He already had his Invisibility Cloak, he took some money, some clothing, and a picture of himself with the Weasley family, which he looked at before storing everything in a bag he conjured. Last, he took his will and placed it at the bottom of his trunk, which he would leave behind.

Harry put on his Invisibility Cloak on, though everyone was still at Hogwarts, enduring the aftermath of the battle, and crept back out the door, where Fawkes was waiting. He watched Number 12 Grimmauld Place grow smaller and smaller before slinging his bag over his shoulder and taking hold of Fawkes's tail. They soared for quite some time, until they reached the airport.

Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, Luna, Seamus, Dean, Lavender, Parvati, and Mnemosynie threw curse after curse at the door that led to the Astronomy Tower, but all failed, the door wouldn't budge.

"Stop!" yelled Hermione, and the volley of curses, jinxed, and hexes ended, "How about we try it together, on my count, 1. . .2. . .3!"

All ten murmured a spell, and the door to the Astronomy Tower exploded into a thousand shards, in a rainbow of colors and dust. They charged up the spiraling steps, wands at the ready to blast anyone who got in their way. But they didn't meet anyone until they got to the top of the tower, where they met the dead body of Voldemort. . . And no Harry.

"Where's Harry?" asked Ginny, the only other thing that was at the top of the tower was a beautiful orange-yellow phoenix feather, and the Dark Mark glimmering in the sky overhead. Had they looked closer at the sky however, they would have seen two figures flying away, getting smaller and smaller, until they were hidden behind the clouds.

"He's gone," said Ginny, tears flowing down her cheek.

"Gone?" croaked Professor McGonagall, lying down on a bed in the Hospital Wing, "He's-he's. . ."

"No, not dead, at least we hope not," said Hermione, "We didn't find a body."

They were all quiet again, and then Bill spoke, "Is- is, You-Know-You, . . . Dead?"

"Yes," whispered Mnemosynie.

"But where could Harry _be_?" asked Fred, who had a gash on his arm that Madame Pomfrey was attending.

"We don't know," answered Neville, who had an arm around Luna.

"All we found was a phoenix feather." said Luna.

Harry sat down heavily on his couch, completely and utterly tired, both physically and mentally.

"Fawkes," he called, and suddenly, with a burst of flames, the phoenix appeared beside him. Fawkes had stayed away until Harry called him to avoid muggles. Now Harry ran his hand over Fawkes's glossy and comforting feathers. 

He had rented a two bedroom apartment in New York City in America, where he would blend in well with the millions of people that lived there. Even so, he had changed his appearance. His black hair turned brown and shorter, his scar vanished and his eyes turned brown. He even put on contacts.

"Looks like its just you and me, Fawkes," he whispered to Fawkes, and the bird gave a musical cry to reassure him. "I'll go back, Fawkes. When I'm ready. But right now, I need some time alone."

A/N: it'll get better later, so please bear with me! The plot will actually begin to form in, like, the second chapter. R&R, people, even if you completely and utterly hate it! 


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

**Harry gets a job...and Other Things**

"Three kidnappings," were the first words out of Remus Lupin's mouth at the emergency meeting in the teachers' study.The teachers' study was really a large comfortable room, brightly lit and covered with armchairs and tables, where teachers came to grade papers and talk about their students. Now, it could have been the coldest and creepiest dungeon in the castle and no one in the room would have cared.

"What!" said a shocked Professor Mcgonagall, who was now the Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She was sitting as stiffly as ever, but her eyes described her exhaustion; being Headmistress during a war when she was not as young as she used to be had obviously taken a toll on her. 

"Three kidnappings," repeated Remus, "And I don't know why I'm so shocked. It was the same way last time Voldemort disappeared. Killing and torturing left, right, and center. His followers either searching for his whereabouts or trying to get a few more murders in before they were captured. Though, I think that the abductions _do _have some sort of connection, since all three victims were kidnapped on the same day."

"But, who was abducted?" asked Ginny.

"Tom, the barman of the Leaky Cauldron; Phorth Aberlyn, the barman of the Hog's Head; and Ollivander, the wandmaker."

"The only connection I see between them is that all of 'em were old," said Ron, trying (and failing) to inject a little humor into the situation. Every face in the room carried a grim expression.

"Two barmen and a wandmaker? I don't see much of a connection. But what would the Death Eaters want with them?" asked Hermione.

Remus shrugged, "Your guess is as good as anyone's."

They talked for a long time about the kidnappings, but no one got any further in solving the mystery of even why they were abducted. All in all, everyone was glad when lunch finally came.

Ron, Hermione, Neville, Luna, Mnemosynie, and Ginny all sat a little apart from everyone else at lunchtime, glaring down anyone who dared approach them on the subject of the night Voldemort was murdered or where Harry was. After the seventh person (a fourth year Hufflepuff) ran away with fright, Hermione exploded.

"WHY CAN'T THEY LEAVE US ALONE!!!" 

"Shhh, Hermione, or the Daily Prophet tomorrow'll have the words "Hermione Granger Murders Fellow Student" over the front page," muttered Ron.

"Oh, shut up!" Hermione answered, though in a calmer voice.

"No, its true, we're almost as famous as Harry these days," whispered Mnemosynie.

Everyone was quiet, and Ginny broke the silence, "I miss Harry."

It was around six o' clock in the morning, and Harry Potter was sitting on his couch, eating a bagel with a cup of coffee, watching the muggle news. A few seconds later, Fawkes appeared in a burst of flames. Harry was so used to this that he didn't even spill his coffee.

"Good morning," whispered Harry, running his fingers through Fawkes' thick, glossy feathers, "I need a job," he said abruptly.

This wasn't entirely true. He had written to Gringotts to get all of his money changed to U. S. dollars and tranferred to a bank in New York City. His parent's and his godfather's fortunes were enough to keep him living well all his days, but he just wanted something to do to get his mind off of things.

Fawkes gave one of his musical cries before flying over to a window that overlooked the street below. Harry abondoned his couch and followed. He pushed the curtains aside to look at what Fawkes was trying to show him. Outside, he saw the muggle road lined with cars and padestrians on the sidewalk. On the other side, there was a small shop that had a 'Help Wanted' sign on the front. 

A half an hour later found Harry thanking Gary, the elevator operator and making his way out of the lobby and across the street to _Waldman's Bookshop_.

The inside of the rather small shop was crammed with shelves (which in turn were crammed with books), a few tables and a counter at the front. Behind the counter stood a busty blond girl with a name tag that said "Rochelle Waldman."

"May I help you?" she asked

"Er-no. I was looking for a job," answered Harry, indicating the sign in the window.

"Oh!" said Rochelle, her entire facial expression changing, "That's good, I've been having to run the shop myself for a few months, after my dad died."She showed no sadness as she stated this. "Well, the work's easy enough. All you have to do is shelve the books and run deliveries."

They talked some more, Rochelle taking out a a little booklet and writing down his name, which he gave as Clemence Taylor, his address, the agreed salary and a few other things. (A/N: I have no idea how the hiring process works, so if anyone knows, can they send me a review containing that information? I'll edit this chapter accordingly!)) A few minutes later, she snapped the book shut and stowed it into a drawer, from where she also took out a feather duster.

"Ecxellant! You're hired. Now, you can go and reshelve the books in the back, there's a pile, you'll see it."

With that, Rochelle began shaking the duster over the shelves. The duster wasn't _all _she shook, but Harry tried not to notice.

A/N: Know this chapter's short. Excitment (sp?) starts in third chapter. Please keep reading. Please keep reviewing. Thank you!


	3. Chapter 3

Cry of the Phoenix by pheonixfeatherof97   
Chapter 3 : Chapter Three

**Rating:** 12+

**Chapter Reviews:** 2

**Chapter 3:**** The Couple and the Kidnapping**

"If I don't do something right now, I'm going to go crazy, Mnemosynie!" yelled Ginny, they were at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, where Mnemosynie had taken her, when she noticed Ginny's temper mounting. There was no one around, so it was a good place for Ginny to get all the rage out of her system.

"I've got nothing to do, I'm half out of my mind with worry for Harry, and those stupid Order Members treat us all like kids! They only tell us stuff once in a while, and only after its happened, and I think they hide things from us, as well! And, and. . .OHHH! WHY DID HARRY HAVE TO GO!!!!!!??" she yelled, and then sat down heavily on the grass opposite Mnemosynie, her rage some-what spent.

"You know, I have something in mind for us to do," said Mnemosynie, thinking that it would take some of the restlessness out of her, and help her temporarily stop thinking about Harry.

"What?" asked Ginny, "I'll do anything right now!"

"Remember, when I went to get that wand check-up yesterday? Well, I had to wait for a few minutes, and when I was waiting, I couldn't help noticing a door, slightly ajar, and yelling coming from it-"

"Don't tell me, you eavesdropped, didn't you?" interupted Ginny, breaking out into a smile, something that rarely happened these days.

"Well, what would you have done, Miss Goody-Two-Shoes? I crept closer, and saw that it was Scrimgeour, having a shouting mmatch with, I think, the Head of the Auror Office. He was yelling at Scrimgeour and kept asking why the scenes of the kidnappings haven't been investigated for clues."

"Wait, the kidnappings of the two barman and the wandmaker? I thought the first thing Scrimgeour would do is investigate, after all, he _was_ Head of Auror Office before he became Minister," said Ginny, "Wait_, we_ could investigate ourselves! The Hog's Head is in Hogsmeade, so we could leave at night, go there, come back, and no one would know!"

"Exactly!" whispered Mnemosynie, "But there is one more thing that's troubling me. During the whole conversation, Scimgeour was weirdly calm, he nodded and smiled, and his eyes were unfocused, and there were dark shadows beneath them."

"Do you think someone is poisoning him?" asked Ginny, aghast.

"No," muttered Mnemosynie, "I think its something much worse. I think Rufus Scrimgeour is under the Imperius Curse."

A week later, Harry was settling into his routine quite easily. Wake up, go to work, come back, watch muggle T.V., go to sleep. But something happened that destroyed the routine, and the sense of security that he had arrived at, after beginning to follow his routine.He was coming back from the bokstore, and crossing the lobby to the elevator, when he stopped. Talking to Gary, the elevator operator, were a man and a woman, most probably a couple, and Harry caught what they were saying.

"Look closely, man, have you seen this person, no? Think harder, and answer me again, HAVE YOU SEEN THIS PERSON? His name is Harry Potter, have you ever heard of that name?" the woman declared, holding what looked like a photo of him up to Gary, who looked slightly harrassed.

Harry's first instinct was to turn the other way and run, but he stopped himself. The couple, who ever they were, did not know he was Harry Potter. He was Clemence Taylor, brown haired, brown eyed, scarless, Clemence Taylor. Harry boarded the elevator with the couple, just out of curiosity. It seemed that the couple, who were named Barry and Diana Smith, knew that he was here in New York City. Barry was tall, with black hair, and brown eyes, and mostly stayed quiet during Diana's interrogation of Gary. Diana was the talkative one, with light brown hair and black eyes.

In fact, it was those eyes Harry's attention was drawn to. He had seen those eyes, but where? Harry went to bed that night, still pondering the identies of the Smiths, and wondering where he had seen Diana's eyes. He mused how they were unlike Hagrids, whose coal-colored eyes pulsed with love and gentleness, or even Snape's, who's eyes were like tunnels that never ended, one that you could get trapped in.No, her eyes were differant, they held no expression of care, like Hagrid, nor were they hidden, like Snape. They were like two black daggers of ice, piercing with hate everything she saw. Yes, he thought, that was it, he was drifting off to sleep, and he wondered how they had even found out he was in New York.

And then all the sleep left his eyes and he sat up. The letter! His letter to Gringotts, the one that said to transfer all his gold into a bank in New York City! Oh god, he had even listed the name and address of the bank! So that was it. His letter had been intercepted, and since this was the closest hotel to the bank, they were looking for him here!

No one saw Ginny and Mnemosynie leave the Gryffindor Common Room, and no one saw them leave the Honeydukes celler. But they trugged on, through the cold, windy night, greatful for the black cloaks for protection from both the elements and from any eyes looking out of their windows.

They neared the Hog's Head, it was more dirty looking than when last they had seen it. The windows and doors where boarded up, and the Hog's Head sign lay in the grass, a crack down its middle.

Ginny and Mnemosynie crept around to the side of the little building, so as not to be seen breaking into a bar in the middle of the night. Ginny used a nifty spell to cut a hole in the wood, and both piled in. Mnemosynie went first, landing in a thick layer of dust. She coughed as the dust blew around her, but when it settled, her cough turned into a choke. Ginny landed neatly next to her, and was about to say something, when she saw Mnemosynie's stunned face.

"What?" she whispered.

Mnemosynie's face was pale, "There are people in this room."

Harry calmed himself with a few small breaths, and then lay back down. But who were they? Barry and Diana Smith were probably a witch and a wizard, and had disguised themselves, yes, that was it, but who were they? More importantly, who was Diana, and where had he seen her before?

And then it hit him, he sat back up again and he began to sweat. He remembered where he had seen those eyes, for they belonged to none other then Bellatrix Lestrange!

Ginny woke up with a groan, her body aching, "Where am I?"

"Glad to see you awake, I was beginning to worry about you," said Mnemosynie.

As Ginny's eyes began to adjust, she saw that she was in a rectangular cell. On one side was a door which she later found out to be the bathroom, and on the other, were bars, like in a muggle jail. Looking through the bar, she saw a hallway.

"What happened?" asked Ginny, "I feel like my head is about to explode!"

"They overpowered us, stunned us, and threw us in here," muttered Mnemosynie, angrily, "I still think we could have taken them, but we weren't expecting a host of wizards to be camped out here! They took our wands as well."

"I feel sorry for you two," came a croaky voice that made Ginny jump, "But I'm mighty glad you came, I was getting bored by myself."

Ginny looked across the cell and found an old man seated on the floor, looking at them with some interest. It was Phorth Aberlyn, the barman of the Hog's Head. Those wizards had kidnapped him and were holding him hostage in his own bar!

"Oh, I forgot to make introduction, didn't I, where are my manners?" simpered Mnemosynie. In spite of everything, her eyes glimmered with myschief, "Ginny, may I introduce to you Phorth Aberlyn, otherwise known as Aberforth Dumbledore."

Ginny felt her jaw drop.

A/N: Third chapter, plot beginning to form, please review!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:**

**Explanations**

"_You're_ Aberforth _Dumbledore? _As in _related_ to _Albus _Dumbledore?!" sputtered Ginny, completely dumbstruck, "You're his brother?!"

"Why, yes my dear girl, I am indead, and as I was saying, I'm quite glad you two dropped by, I was getting very lonesome in here all by myself. I'll be very greatful for your company," smiled the old man happily, then his smile faltered, "Although I'm sure you would rather not be in this prison. Quite alright though, easily understandable, I would rather be somewhere else myself."

Ginny opened her mouth to say something, then realized that she had nothing to say. However, Mnemosynie smiled and whispered so the old man wouldn't hear, "He's been in here for a long time, without any company, he's probably gotten into the habit of talking to himself."

It was true, he was muttering to himself and shaking his head.

However, Ginny soon found her voice and began talking again, "Um, Mr.-er- Dumbledore?"

"Hm? Oh, young lady, please, call me Aberforth!" he said, his smile back on his face.

"Er, yes, um, Aberforth, sir, I was just wondering, why,...why you worked as a bartender, while..."

"While my brother was receiving international recognition for his work?" completed Aberforth.Ginny nodded quietly, hoping she had not offended him.

"Because, I never really had Albus's flare for the things he does, you know, "alchemy," "ten uses of dragon's blood," and all that! No, I was better as a spy, especially during the first and second wars. I was Albus's eyes and ears in the magical underworld, why else did I open up a place as dodgy as the Hog's Head? I opened it to attract people whose priorities were questionable and those who were on the other side of the law. I kept tabs on known Dark agents and found more of them. I found those who would become spies for our cause with a little prodding. Do you know Mundungus Fletcher? He was a find of mine," answered Aberforth, proudly. 

"Oh, so is it because you're a spy that they locked you up, or is it because you're related to Albus Dumbledore and they thought you might be as powerful as he was?" asked Mnemosynie.

"No, I don't think they know I'm a spy or who my brother is," answered Aberforth Dumbledore.

"Then why are they keeping you prisoner in your own bar?" asked Ginny.

"So that I don't warn the Order of the Pheonix when the remaining Death Eaters carry out there plan, I'm guessing they also locked up Tom and Ollivander for that reason as well."

"You know their plan?" asked Mnemosynie, eagerly.

Aberforth nodded sadly, "Not that it does any good, they'll probably leave us here until their plan is carried out."

"What is their plan?" asked Ginny.

"Well, you _know_ Harry Potter killed You-Know-Who a few days ago, its just like at the end of the first war, Death Eaters wanting revenge. They want revenge against Harry Potter."

"But nobody knows where he is!" interrupted Ginny.

"They don't need to know that, you don't need to physically hurt some one to cause pain, the Death Eaters are, instead, aiming for creating emotional wounds, which hurt more. They wanted to do it before, but You-Know-Who wouldn't let them. Now he's gone, so there's nothing to stop them."

"But what are they planning?" asked Mnemosynie.

Aberforth looked very serious, his smile gone, his eyes dark, "They plan to destroy Harry Potter and You-Know-Who's first home."

"Which is?" asked Ginny impatiently.

"They're planning to destroy Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," said Aberforth. 

Harry could still not sleep. Maybe it was knowing the fact that Bellatrix and Rudolphus Lestrange were in the same building as him. Suddenly, overcome with restlessness, Harry stood up, and began collecting his wand and his Invisibility Cloak, which he draped over himself before leaving his suite.

Due to his ride in the elevator earlier in the day, Harry knew exactly where the Lestanges' suite was. He opened the door with a simple "_Alohomora." _The Lestranges were asleep. However, they still wore their disguises as Barry and Diana Smith.

With a quick inspection of the living room, he found nothing but their wands, which further confirmed his suspicions. Moving on to the bedroom, he placed a spell on the slumbering couple so they would not wake if he made any loud noises. He found nothing in the bedroom, but when he was about to leave, he spied a piece of parchment on the nightstand. Not just a piece of parchment, it turned out, it was a letter:

_To B.L. and R.L.___

_It is of no consequence that you have not found H.P. yet. Instead, I will be coming to you to brief you on the second part of your task, I am overjoyed to announce that I have found the B.o.F., which shall make things much easier.___

_Until next we meet__  
__L.M._

Harry stared at the letter, his brain decoding the message. The letter was to Bellatrix and Rudolphus Lestrange (B.L and R.L), from Lucius Malfoy (L.M.) (obvious). Bellatrix and her husband had been assigned a task, the first part of which was to locate him, Harry Potter (H.P.), and the second was to be revealed when Malfoy arrived. He was also bringing the B.o.F. What in the name of Merlin was that?!

"What are you cooking Lucius Malfoy?" muttered Harry, "What are you cooking?"

"Are you completely senile?" erupted Ginny, springing up to pace the floor again, "Destroying Hogwarts? That's impossible!"

"It _is _quite unbelievable," conceded Mnemosynie calmly, "Do you have reasons to back up your theory?"

"Yes, but the story I have to tell is a very long one, " answered Aberforth reluctantly.

"We aren't going anywhere," smiled Mnemosynie.

"Of all right," he grumbled, "The story starts hundreds of years ago-"

"What does something that happened centuries past have to do with anything?" interrupted Ginny, sliding down opposite the old man.

"If you would be so kind as to keep quiet, then perhaps I'll tell you," growled Aberforth, shutting Ginny up, "Ahem. Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, hundreds of years ago, there lived four witches and wizards of great renown, for they were the four greatest witches or wizards of their time. There names, of course, were Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff, and Salazar Slytherin. Their wish was to keep their own vast knowledge from being forgotten, so, they created a school for teaching witchcraft and wizardry, the first of its kind.

"Now, the Founders did not just wave their wands and Hogwarts appeared, no! They created every brick, piece of glass, and statue, and coated it with their magic and their essence. In doing so, they also created a bond between themselves and the school, a bond that reached past their magic and their essence and into their very souls. However, this bond was also a curse, neither could live without the other!"

"What does that mean, exactly?"

"It means, my dear girl," answered Aberforth, "That if the Founders died, Hogwarts would cease to exist."

Ginny stared at him in shocked silence, "What? But, that's impossible, the Founders have been dead for centuries, but Hogwarts is still standing!"

Mnemosynie was staring at Aberforth, brow furrowed, thinking.

"But that's it, my dear, the founders never died," answered Aberforth.

"How is that possible?"

"Its possible," whispered Mnemosynie, looking at Aberforth for conformation of her theory, "because the Founders made horcruxes."

A/N:

Mnemosynie is pronounced: (Nem-AW-sin-ee)  
Rhymes with: (hem-law-win-see)

The name comes from Greek Mythology!

Don't forget to Review!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five:**

**Rita Skeeter and the Astronomy Tower**

A/N: I feel as though I've been neglecting Ron and Hermione a little, so this chapter will be mostly about them, along with their reaction to Ginny and Mnemosynie going missing!

"Ron, come _on_!" called Hermione over her shoulder, as she navigated in the student-infested corridor. Thirty seconds later, Ron ran up and fell into place next to her, breathing hard. He checked his watch.

"Bloody hell, Hermione! Charms doesn't begin until about a half an hour, where are we going? And slow down, my feet are killing me!"

"You need the exercise!" snapped Hermione, and refused to answer any of his questions. For the first time, Ron noticed her set expression: the same expression she had worn when she had punched Malfoy in the face.

"What is it, Hermione?" he asked, in a calmer tone.

"You'll see," she muttered.

Five minutes later, they were standing in front of the Charms classroom. But, Ron noticed something wrong: the door was closed. Professor Flitwick always left his doors thrown wide open in a welcoming gesture. However, now they were ominously shut. Not to be deterred, Ron raised a hand to the doorknob, but before he could so much as touch it, Hermione slapped his hand away and gave him a glare that could peel paint.

"Don't do anything," she whispered, and then knocked on the door: twice slowly, three times in quick succession, and then twice again slowly. It opened a crack, to allow a view of a sliver of a face and one large, blue, protuberant eye. After taking in the two, and looking up and down the corridor as if to check that there was no one else, the eye disappeared, and the door was opened to allow them in. It was shut as soon as they were in the room, leaving them in thick darkness as their eyes adjusted to the light of a single candle.

Now that he could see properly, Ron saw that the room was indeed the Charms classroom. However, the curtains were pulled over the windows to block out all light, and it was missing the familiar sounds of students having fun. Besides Hermione and him, their were two other people in the room: Neville and Luna, whose faces flickered in the weak light of the candle.

"What's going on?" asked a slightly confused Ron.

"It has to do with Mnemosynie and Ginny," answered Luna, as vague as ever.

Ron's stomach turned over at the sound of the names of his friend and his sister. During the day, he had grown steadily more worried about their absence, and teachers and other students commenting about it were not alleviating his fears.

"What about it?" he asked weakly.

"Mnemosynie and Ginny are _not _ordinary witches. The fact that they've gone missing will not be over looked, not by the press, and not by the Ministry. And the fact that Mnemosynie is Scrimgeour's niece and that both she and Ginny were in the Last Battle only makes it worse," answered Hermione tersely.

"The Daily Prophet'll be printing an article tomorrow: front-page news, and the Ministry isn't going to ignore it. The _best_ that can happen is that they assign a team of aurors to the school and step the security up a notch," muttered Neville.

"And what would be the worst?" asked Ron, dreading the answer.

"The school is closed down," answered Luna, huge eyes staring unblinkingly at Ron.

Ron sucked in a breath and was quiet before asking his next question, "And what are we going to do about it? I mean, you guys could _not_ have gone to the trouble of arranging a secret meeting without planning to do _something_ about it," he stated, looking from Hermione to Neville to Luna.

Hermione smiled, "Yes, there is something we're going to do about it, and it involves a special guest I invited."

At that moment, someone stepped from the shadows, it was a woman who looked as though she had seen better times: the paint on her long nails was cracked and chipped, her clothes looked a little shabby, and her hair had ripples of gray in them. Despite these facts, however, Ron could clearly see that it was Rita Skeeter, a woman he despised.

"What's she got to do with any of this?" he asked, eyes narrowed suspiciously at Rita.

"Oh, don't get your knickers in a twist! I can't do anything, as long as Little-Miss-Perfect over there," she nodded her head stiffly at Hermione, "Keeps my secret from the Ministry."

"But, why do we need Rita Skeeter's help?" asked Ron, ignoring her comment.

"Well, as she works for the Daily Prophet, she says that she can prevent the article from being published for up to another two days, but no more after that," answered Neville, "Its the reason we had to keep the meeting a secret, she's not allowed in Hogwarts, or on the Grounds, she had to sneak inside in her Animagus form."

"But what's the use of delaying the article, it doesn't matter anyway, they'll still print it eventually," said Ron.

"Yes, but it buys time so that the Order can try and find them, or that they can escape, before it causes too much trouble," answered Luna, pleasantly.

For the next few minutes, the foursome, along with Rita Skeeter, finalized their plans. Rita, threatened by Hermione, assured them that the article could be delayed. They all speculated on where Mnemosynie and Ginny had gone, whether they were alright, and lamenting that they could not go out looking of them themselves.

"Alright, guys, I think Rita should go now, class starts in fifteen minutes," Hermione reminded them. Rita promptly turned into a beetle, and Luna went to opened the window a crack to allow her out.

Neville nodded as he opened the heavy curtains to let the sunlight in once more, "We should go and get our stuff for Charms. Personally I didn't get the homework because of what Flitwick said about…"

Ron froze at the sound of the word "homework." He had done it, of course he had! But where had he put it? Suddenly, he remembered, and began mentally bracing himself for the lecture he knew he was about to receive.

"Uh, Hermione?" he muttered, interrupting her speech on whatever she has explaining to Neville, "I think I left my homework at the top of the Astronomy Tower."

"What! Ron, how could you be so irresponsible-."

But Luna, returning from the window, cut her short, "Class starts in ten minutes."

"Oh!" jumped Hermione, "Come on Ron, we'll make a stop at the Common Room, and then go straight to the Astronomy Tower, and don't think you're off the hook!"

Ron winced and followed her out. They reached the Common Room without event, and Ron waited while Hermione ran up to the girls' dormitory to pick up her bag. They quickly set off to the Astronomy Tower, which was closed during the day. Only Professor Sinistra, the Astronomy teacher, and the Head Boy and Girl had the keys to it. And as Ron, the Head Boy, had lost his key long ago, it would make sense to ask the Head Girl, Hermione, for _her_ key.

Muttering about irresponsible boys, Hermione opened the door at the base of the tower. Behind it was a rickety spiraling staircase that led to the top of it. Now muttering about a staff that was too lazy to install an elevator, she started trudging up the stairs, Ron right behind her.

At the top, they quickly found Ron's bag lying next to a telescope, covered in dust. He shook the bag to get rid of the filth, and then swung it over his shoulder, and looked at Hermione, who was staring at the horizon.

Neither of them went down.

After a few seconds, Ron broke the silence, "Uh, Hermione, we're going to be late."

This did not yield the results he expected. Instead of jumping up and speeding down the staircase in her haste not to be late, Hermione did not move at all, instead, her head drooped, and she looked to the ground.

"Ron?" she asked quietly.

"What is it?" he said, concerned. Her expression now was the same one she had had when she learned the meaning of "mudblood" and why it had been directed at her during their second year by Malfoy.

"Do you think I'm...weak?" she asked in a whisper.

"What! Are you crazy?!" asked Ron, trying not to laugh, "You are definitely NOT weak, I mean, you dueled with Lucius Malfoy, a so-called "pureblood," and he's an adult _and _he was using Dark Magic! You nearly beat him!"

"_Nearly_," muttered Hermione.

"So? You _would _have beat him if Bellatrix hadn't come along and helped him!" He saw that she was still not convinced, and said a little more calmly, "Look, Hermione, you're strong. You're clever. You're nice. And I-" he stopped, heart thudding.

"What?" she asked, "You what?"

"And I, well I..." he stuttered, stepping closer to her, trying to find the right words, "I..."

Suddenly, Hermione smiled, and stepped closer, too. She placed a finger on his lips, silencing him, "I know what you mean."

She removed her finger and stood on her toes, after all Ron _was_ the tallest guy in their year...

They missed Charms that day, Hermione decided missing a class or two now and then really didn't hurt. Instead, they stayed on the Astronomy Tower.

Lucius Malfoy watched from behind the tree. He had seen the small black beetle fly over the wall encircling Hogwarts, and now he was waiting for it to return. He knew who the beetle was, and had shrewd idea as to why it had come to Hogwarts. Now all he had to was wait until it played straight into his hands.  
_  
__Flashback___

_"Hello, Rita" smiled a thin-lipped boy with sleek blond hair and cruel blue eyes.___

_The girl, who was facing the other way, jumped and turned around, while trying to block his view of a cauldron she had been hovering over. "H-Hello, Lucius," she muttered, she was sweating.___

_His lips curled in a mockery of a smile, he knew exactly what was in the cauldron: Animagus Formula. He had seen her studying the instruction page in her Potions textbook many times before.___

_"My dear Rita, its such a wonderful day, why not be outside, sitting in the shade of a tree, or swimming in the lake? Instead of sitting in this dark, hot Potion's classroom?"_

_Rita took a deep breath. "I-I need to finish my Potion's p-project," she muttered, shrinking against the wooden table.___

_Lucius trained his eyes against her nervous face, "Oh, I see. Hmm. Funny, I don't remember a Potions project in sixth year that required us to create an Animagus Formula."___

_"I…" began Rita, but was saved from responding when Lucius lifted a hand.___

_"Its alright, I won't tell anyone," he whispered, getting so close to her that she could feel his unnaturally cold breath on the skin of her face, "No, not yet. An illegal Animagus? You might even prove to be useful later."___

_He stepped back nimbly, pleased to see that her face had gone pale and fear was in her eyes, "Please, please don't tell anyone, I-I don't want to go to Azkaban!"___

_"Oh, don't worry, my dear, I have no reason to tell anyone, not yet anyway. Just you make sure that I don't get one." He turned to go, but then stopped, his fake smile still decorating his face, "Oh, and I almost forgot to ask! How rude of me. What is to be your Animagus form?"___

_Rita considered not telling him, or telling him a lie, but the look at his face told her that if she did either one, she would pay, "A b-beetle," she whispered, looking at the ground.___

_Lucius Malfoy smiled wider, turned around, and walked out of the Potion_'_s classroom.__  
__End of Flashback___

_Lucius was pulled back from his daydream of many years ago when he saw a beetle fly over the heavily guarded wall. It had markings around its eyes like a pair of glasses. He smiled. It was the one.__  
__He pointed his wand and muttered, "Accio!" and the beetle flew straight into his hand. He closed his fist around the insect, and opened it a crack so it could see him, "Hello Rita, my dear, I haven't seen you in a long time."_  
The beetle tried to fly out of his hand, but before it could do so, Lucius closed his fist, "No, don't do that, you'll make me mad, and I'll have to squash you, and I don't want to do that."

"Now, listen, Rita, I know the reason why you came here. And I know what you are going to do. But, you see I don't want you to do it, as it will interfere terribly with my plans. You will _not_ go to the Daily Prophet, and you will _not _delay the article of the two girls that were kidnapped. It _will_ be published in tomorrow's newspaper, and it _will _be read by the public. And the old fear the Death Eaters inspired in the people will continue!"

With that, he let the beetle go, and watched it fly as fast as it could go, then he started off towards Hogsmeade.

A/N: I think this is my most well-written chapter so far. I looked back and decided I was going way too fast, so the story will progress a little slower. On the other hand, though, I will be striving to get each chapter in the queue for validation as fast as possible. Oh, yeah, one more thing:

IF YOU SEND ME A REVIEW, I WILL WORSHIP THE GROUND YOU WALK UPON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 


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